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Sat 09 Sep 2008Welfare codes under review to identify same-sex couple bias
THE DEPARTMENT of Social and Family Affairs has said it is undertaking a review of all social welfare codes, including those that may discriminate against same-sex couples.
Responding to complaints against Iarnród Éireann for enforcing rules that exclude same-sex partners from travelling free with over-66s who carry a travel pass, the department said the scheme generally only allowed the “spouse” of a person with a pass to travel free on public transport. “The definition of spouse [Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005] does not extend to partners in a same-sex couple,” a spokeswoman for the department said.
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